The DC film universe has gone through any number of major shifts and changes over the past two decades, and the same can be said of the live-action TV universe as well. While those universes all had their share of highs and lows, there was one constant that just about always delivered. That constant was DC’s best animated universe to date, and 20 years ago today, that universe delivered its final episode.
The universe we are spotlighting is the DCAU, otherwise known as the DC Animated Universe. This universe began with one of the most acclaimed shows of all time in Batman: The Animated Series, and then ran all the way until Justice League Unlimited. This universe would come to a close with the 13th episode of Justice League Unlimited season 3, which was fittingly titled Destroyer. It would see the Legion of Doom seek out the Justice League to help battle a resurrected Darkseid, and it would close out the series with an epic battle befitting of the series.
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Why Did The Legion of Doom Team Up With The Justice League?
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You know things are dire when Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Cheetah, and the rest of the Legion of Doom seek out the help of their most hated enemies, and that was certainly the case in Destroyer. In a crazed state, Lex tried to bring back Brainiac, but instead, he somehow brought back Darkseid, who immediately set about launching a full-scale invasion of Earth.
The Legion teamed up with the Justice League, and it was an all-hands-on-deck situation, with teams made up of heroes and villains in order to not only defend Earth from a horde of Parademons and Apokolips forces but also hunt down Darkseid so they could take him down. Part of what made Justice League Unlimited so fun was seeing all of the different heroes from DC’s vast catalog make appearances and fight alongside the biggest icons, and having the villains thrown into that mix as well only made it better.
Hackman, Stargirl, Star Sapphire, Giganta, Siniestro, The Atom, The Creeper, and even Toyman were all fighting alongside each other, and it was as epic a finale as you could want. When the confrontations between Superman and Darkseid begin, the stakes are raised even higher, and it’s actually Lex who plays one of the biggest roles in halting Darkseid’s rampage. Darkseid and Lex disappear after Lex gives Darkseid the Anti-Life Equation, so while the episode wraps up in a satisfying way, there was always a built-in way to do a fourth season if they got the green light.
The DCAU includes Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, The Zeta Project, Static Shock, Gotham Girls, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited.
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